The University of Florida is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
to award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, engineer, doctoral and professional degrees.

Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research

The Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research conducts research on all aspects of the biology of sea turtles. Researchers at the Center for Sea Turtle Research, collaborating with students and faculty of various academic units, take a multidisciplinary approach to address the complex problems of sea turtle biology and conservation. Scientists from the Center have investigated questions of sea turtle biology around the world, from the molecular level to the ecosystem level, from studies of population structure based on mitochondrial DNA to the effects of ocean circulation patterns on the movements and distribution of sea turtles. Long-term field studies of the Center are conducted mainly at two research stations in the Bahamas and the Azores. For more information, contact the Director, Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, 223 Bartram Hall, Phone (352) 392-1126, Website http://accstr.ufl.edu.

Center for Latin American Studies

The Tropical Conservation and Development Program (TCD), in the Center for Latin American Studies, offers an interdisciplinary graduate certificate and graduate concentration focused on integrative approaches to conservation and development in Latin America and other tropical regions. Both the certificate and concentration are open to students who are interested in acquiring interdisciplinary knowledge and technical skills to pursue a career in conservation and development research and practice. These students must be enrolled in master’s or Ph.D. programs in TCD’s affiliate academic units at the University of Florida.

Center for Tropical Agriculture

The Center for Tropical Agriculture, in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, seeks to stimulate interest in research and curriculum related to the tropical environment and its development. Website: http://cta.ufl.edu.

Research: International agricultural development assistance contracts frequently have research components. The Center helps coordinate this research.

Minor in tropical agriculture: An interdisciplinary minor in tropical agriculture is available for both master’s and doctoral students majoring in agriculture, forestry, and other fields where knowledge of the tropics is relevant. The minor may include courses treating specific aspects of the tropics such as natural resource management (e.g., soils, water, biodiversity), climate, agricultural production, and the languages and cultures of those who live in tropical countries.

Requirements for the minor at the master’s level include a minimum of 7 letter-graded credit hours. Six letter-graded credit hours are chosen from the list of approved courses with the guidance of the supervisory committee. Selected courses must be from outside the student’s major and may not include courses from other academic units which qualify for graduate credit within the home department. One letter-graded credit hour must be a “hands-on” experience in the student’s selected focus in tropical agriculture. This experience may take the form of a study abroad, internship, field trip, or special project and must have a time equivalent at least equivalent to a 1-credit graded course.

Requirements for the minor at the Ph.D. level include a minimum of 12 letter-graded credits. Selected courses must be from outside the student’s major and may not include courses from academic units which qualify for graduate credit within the home department. One letter-graded credit hour must be a “hands-on” experience in the student’s selected focus in tropical agriculture. This experience may take the form of a study abroad, internship, field trip or special project that must have a time equivalent to a 1 credit letter-graded course. An intent of the minor at the Ph.D. level is to insure each student has an appreciation of the social context within which tropical agriculture is often practiced. To that end, at the discretion of the CTA faculty member on the supervisory committee, if the student does not have a background that addresses the social context, 3 letter-graded credits may be selected from the social science section of the approved list.

Other activities: The Center seeks broad dissemination of knowledge about tropical agriculture by sponsoring conferences, short courses, and seminars featuring leading authorities on the tropics; publishing books, monographs, and proceedings; and by acquiring materials for the library and the data bank.

Electronic Delivery of Graduate Engineering (UF EDGE)

UF EDGE offers online graduate engineering master’s degrees, courses and certificates from the College of Engineering. The UF EDGE program allows engineers to obtain their master’s degrees from any location without the need to travel to the UF campus. All course lectures and materials are delivered online and distance students submit homework via e-mail and have exams proctored at their places of work to be faxed in for grading. A master’s degree is comprised of 10 courses totaling 30 credit hours. Students can take as many courses per semester as their work and life schedules permit, thus setting their own pace toward their degrees. Employers may provide financial support for these graduate courses. Students wishing to participate in the UF EDGE program should contact the UF EDGE office at (352) 392-9670 or visit the website at www.ufedge.ufl.edu for more detailed information. Students pursuing a degree through UF EDGE and the College of Engineering are governed by the College’s requirements, the academic unit to which they have been admitted, and the Graduate School.

English Language Institute

The University of Florida makes available three English language programs to help international graduate students improve their proficiency in English under the umbrella of the UF English Language Institute. These programs are 1) Academic Spoken English, 2) Academic Written English, and 3) the Intensive English Program.

The Academic Spoken English (ASE) program consists, primarily, of the 03 credit supervised ITA teaching course—EAP 5836. This course is required of all international teaching assistants (whose first language is not English) during their first semester of teaching at UF, whose TOEFL-IBT Speaking score is between 23–27 or UF SPEAK score is 45–50. A 04 credit EAP 5835 course is also offered for students who need to make rapid progress in their oral proficiency in English or who desire to improve their performance on a UF SPEAK test. These two credit-bearing courses are eligible for a graduate tuition waiver. Non-credit ASEP classes intended to help with general oral communication in English skills (fluency, pragmatics, pronunciation) are offered each semester if there is sufficient student demand. Information about ASE can be found at http://ase.ufl.edu/.

The Academic Written English (AWE) program is designed to help international graduate students improve their writing ability. Applicants admitted with low verbal GRE scores, or those demonstrating a lower proficiency than needed for successful performance in written tasks as determined by their academic unit, may be required to enroll in a Scholarly Writing course. Students may also self-select to enroll in these classes if they find they need additional academic writing support to be successful. The Scholarly Writing course is offered as a non-credit class lasting six weeks. This course is not eligible for a tuition waiver and is not offered as a distance education class. Information about AWE can be found at http://www.eli.ufl.edu/programs/AcademicWrittenEnglish.html.

The Intensive English Program can help graduate applicants improve their spoken and written English prior to beginning graduate studies. In some cases, applicants with low or missing English test scores may receive ELI Conditional Admission, requiring them to exit the Intensive English Program before receiving full admission to their graduate programs. Information about the Intensive English Program can be found at http://www.eli.ufl.edu/.

Florida Agricultural Experiment Station

The Florida Agricultural Experiment Station conducts statewide research programs in agriculture, natural resources, and human systems. Research deals with agricultural production, processing, marketing, human nutrition, veterinary medicine, renewable natural resources, and environmental issues. This research program includes activities by faculty on the Gainesville campus and on the campuses of Research and Education Centers throughout the state. Close cooperation with numerous Florida agricultural and natural resource related agencies and organizations is maintained to provide research support for 300 agricultural commodities and Florida’s rich natural resources.

The land-grant philosophy of research, extension, and teaching is strongly supported and administered by the Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, under his leadership, is comprised of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and elements of the College of Veterinary Medicine, each functioning under a dean. Most UF/IFAS faculty have joint appointments involving teaching, research, and/or extension.

Research and graduate programs are conducted in 14 departments and two schools: Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Agricultural Education and Communication; Agronomy; Animal Sciences; Entomology and Nematology; Environmental Horticulture; Food and Resource Economics; Food Science and Human Nutrition; Family, Youth and Community Sciences; Horticultural Sciences; Microbiology and Cell Science; Plant Pathology; Soil and Water Science; Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; the School of Forest Resources and Conservation; and the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Additional support units vital to research programs include UF/IFAS Communications, the Office of Facilities Planning and Operations, the Office of Budget and Finance, UF/IFAS Global, the Office of Human Resources, and the Office of Governmental Affairs.

Outside of Gainesville, UF/IFAS faculty and graduate students are located at 12 Research and Education Centers throughout Florida, from Homestead in the extreme south, to Jay in the extreme west. Extension personnel are located in all of Florida’s 67 counties.

Additional research is conducted through the Center for Agricultural and Natural Resource Law; the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants; the Center for Food Distribution and Retailing; the Center for Nutritional Sciences; the Center for Remote Sensing; the Center for Sustainable and Organic Food Systems; the Center for Tropical Agriculture; the Florida Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels; the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, the Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station; the Plant Science Research and Education Unit; the Florida Sea Grant Program; the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and Marine Sciences Programs; the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, the Emerging Pathogens Institute; the UF Genetics Institute; the Florida Climate Institute; Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology Program; Center for Smell and Taste; Florida Partnership for Water, Agriculture and Community Sustainability; Plant Innovation Center; Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program and the UF Water Institute.

Health Science Center

The HSC is a world leader in interdisciplinary research. The Clinical and Translational Science Institute, McKnight Brain Institute, UF Health Cancer Center, UF Genetics Institute, UF Institute on Aging and the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute are designed to create synergies and collaborative research opportunities that focus on the translational nature of biomedical research, following the continuum from fundamental research to clinical research to patient care. In the summer of 2009, UF became the only university in Florida to receive the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award. This $26 million five-year grant is geared toward accelerating scientific discovery, enhancing medical care, producing highly skilled scientists and physicians and fostering partnerships with industry; it supports multidisciplinary research in a wide range of fields such as biomedical informatics, gene therapy, aging, nanotechnology and infectious diseases.

Marine Laboratory at Seahorse Key

The UF Marine Laboratory at Seahorse Key Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory is a field station providing (a) support for research by students, faculty, and visiting scientists; (b) an outstanding teaching program in marine and coastal related subjects; and c) public education outreach programs related to marine, estuarine, and coastal resources of Florida. Seahorse Key is 57 miles west of Gainesville on the Gulf Coast, 3 miles offshore and opposite Cedar Key. Facilities include a 42 foot research vessel, several smaller outboard-powered boats for shallow water and inshore work, a 20 x 40 foot research and teaching building, and a historic residence building, with 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms, dining area, and dormitory accommodations for 26 persons.

Ordway-Swisher Biological Station

The Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) (http://ordway-swisher.ufl.edu) is a biological field station established for the long-term study and conservation of unique ecosystems through research, teaching, and management. It is managed for the University of Florida by the UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research. The 9500-acre facility is located in Putnam County, Florida (roughly 26 miles from Gainesville) and is not open to the general public. The Station contains a mosaic of wetlands and uplands that include sandhills, xeric hammock, upland mixed forest, swamps, marshes, clastic upland lakes, sandhill upland lakes, and marsh lakes. A variety of fauna inhabit OSBS, including a number of state and federally listed species. Wildfires and prescribed burning have had a strong influence on the landscape. The station is a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) and serves as the southeastern core site for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).

Quantum Theory Project

QTP is an interdisciplinary group of 12 faculty plus graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and staff in the Departments of Physics and Chemistry in the College of Engineering and in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering. The computationally oriented theoretical research investigates electronic structure, conformation, properties, and dynamics of molecules and materials. The work covers large areas of modern chemistry, condensed matter and materials physics and engineering, and molecular biology. Essentially all the effort is supported by substantial extramural funding, both individual and collaborative. Since 1960, the Institute has organized a major international meeting, the annual Sanibel Symposium. Visit http://www.qtp.ufl.edu/sanibel for details on the next symposium.

Graduate students in chemistry and in physics are eligible for this specialization and follow a special curriculum. For more information, contact the Director, Quantum Theory Project, email director@qtp.ufl.edu, P.O. Box 118435 (New Physics Building); or visit the QTP website http://www.qtp.ufl.edu.

UF International Center

Located on 1765 Stadium Rd. Suite 170, Hub, the University of Florida International Center (UFIC), through Exchange Visitor Services, International Student Services, Study Abroad Services, and the Office of Global Engagement, serves in a leadership and facilitation role to further the University’s international agenda, providing assistance and support to faculty, staff, administrators, and students as well as external stakeholders in their international activities. In addition to assisting these clients, the Center also functions to enhance the University’s ability to pursue and develop international activities and partnerships appropriate to its core mission, motivating and mobilizing the UF community to integrate and sustain high-impact global dimensions in learning, discovery, and engagement, and provides administrative support to assure leadership for this vision.

Exchange Visitor Services offers administrative, liaison, and support services for foreign national faculty, scholars, researchers and professionals. Additionally Exchange Visitor Services ensures that the university is in compliance with immigration laws and regulations affecting immigration statuses for sponsored foreign nationals and visiting scholars by providing technical and advisory information to the university community. Support services include assistance with immigration regulations compliance, pre-arrival procedures, and orientation to the campus and community.

International Student Services provides support services for international students through immigration document preparation, orientation, immigration services, and various workshops. These services include advising international students on academic, immigration, financial, cultural, and personal issues. All new international students are required to check-in with the International Center.

Study AbroadServices administers a wide range of programs that give students the opportunity to live and study abroad while fulfilling degree requirements. Students can choose among faculty-led summer programs, exchange programs, and independent programs for the summer, a semester, or an academic year as well as spring break, Thanksgiving break and other programs. Various scholarships and other financial aid can be applied to help finance the international academic experience. UF exchange programs enable students to pay UF tuition while studying abroad. Study Abroad program assistants advise applicants on all aspects of UF approved programs, provide pre-departure orientations, and process the foreign transcript on return of the student. Study Abroad program details are available in the UFIC library or on the UFIC website.

Office of Global Engagement facilitates the engagement of UF faculty and students in international research, technical and development assistance, educational programs, outreach, and other related activities. Working closely with donors and funding agencies to engage other UF centers, academic units, and colleges, the office promotes programs and projects that capitalize on the strengths of UF’s faculty and staff, build global partnerships, and achieve UF’s goals.

Whitney Laboratory

The Whitney Laboratoryfor Marine Bioscience is a UF research center for biomedical research and biotechnology. Founded in 1974, the Whitney Lab is dedicated to using marine model animals for studying fundamental problems in biology and applying that knowledge to issues of human health, natural resources, and the environment. The academic staff of the Whitney Laboratory consists of 10 tenure-track faculty members, together with over 50 associates, students, and visiting scientists. The Laboratory is led by Director Dr. Mark Q. Martindale.

Fields of research conducted at the Whitney Laboratory include biomechanics/neuroethology, chemosensory and visual physiology, neurogenomics and comparative marine genomics, synaptogenesis and synaptic physiology, regenerative biology, and the evolution of development. This research uses the techniques of modern cell and molecular biology, for which the Laboratory is particularly well equipped and recognized. The Laboratory provides research support to units on campus and collaborates with several national studies focused on marine genomics.

Research at Whitney Laboratory attracts graduate students, postdocs, and scientists from all over the United States and abroad. Students enroll in the graduate programs of academic units on campus and complete their course work before moving to the Whitney Laboratory, where they conduct their dissertation research under the supervision of resident faculty. An NSF undergraduate research training program at the Whitney Laboratory is also available for 11-week periods in the summer. Whitney also has an active K-12 STEM outreach program, and a public lecture series (Evenings at Whitney) offering community educational opportunities for graduate students.